Aces High
by wideopeneyes
Summary: Gippal talks Rikku into a game of strip poker and has an infuriating habit of winning.


"Two pair, eights and sixes." She dropped her cards on the coffee table triumphantly. "Take _that_." 

He sighed, shaking his head. Then he slowly laid down his own, watching her expression as he revealed his winning hand. "Full house, queens over fours."

"Dammit!" She slapped her palm down on the table. "_How _do you keep _doing _that?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "I'm good at poker. I warned you. Pony up."

"_Fine_." In one smooth motion, she jerked her shirt over her head. "Happy, now?" She wasn't self-conscious. She knew she was pretty, and her bra covered more than her typical attire of a bathing suit top anyway. She just wasn't used to losing. She was a damn good poker player. She had skill and luck and she had an excellent poker face. How he had managed to out maneuver her was beyond her.

He raised an eyebrow. "_Really_, Cid's girl. Bunnies?"

She glanced down at her bra, across which small orange bunnies frolicked gaily. Okay, so maybe she could've chosen sexier underwear, but he _wouldn't _make her embarrassed about it. "I happen to _like_ bunnies."

"Okay, then." He shook his head, shuffling the cards. He offered the deck back to her. "Cut?"

She separated it into two roughly even stacks. "When I was growing up, my dad actually imparted a bit of his wisdom to me. You know what he told me? He said that no matter how stupid the dealer looks, _always _cut the cards." She regarded him levelly. "Y'know, _you _look sort of –"

"Don't say it," he warned. "_I'm_ not the one in a bunny bra. _And_ I've still got all my clothes on."

"Well, I –"

"Button it." He recombined the two stacks, dealing out the cards with methodical efficiency. She picked up her cards, arranging them carefully, then discarding two cards. He discarded a couple as well, and dealt them both replacements.

"So?" He peered over his concealed cards at her. "What've you got?"

"A pair of nines." She set down the two cards so that he could see them.

He 'tsk'ed softly. "I've got a pair of tens." He laid them down.

"Wait, what's _this_?" She exclaimed in mock surprise. "It seems I forgot one! That makes three of a kind," she crowed triumphantly, laying down the third nine.

His lips twitched. "What a coincidence!" He tossed down a third ten. "Looks like I _still_ beat you, kid."

"Oh, that is just _not _fair," she exclaimed. She came dangerously close to a pout as she handed her cards back to him. "Can't _I_ shuffle this time?"

"Winner shuffles," he responded automatically. "Loser strips. I believe you owe me one article of clothing."

She made an irritated sound in the back of her throat – obviously she had not imagined she would come out the loser in their little game. She wriggled out of her pajama pants and tossed them aside. Then she thrust out her open palm. "Cards," she demanded. He handed them over so she could cut the deck, then he dealt out a new hand.

"I don't know _how _you managed to talk me into this," she complained as she discarded.

"_Me_! _You _were the one bragging about your awesome poker skills, of which I have seen little so far," he scoffed.

"Yeah, well, I distinctly remember _you _being the one to suggest _strip _poker," she clarified.

"Oh. Well, I'm a man, what did you expect? Not a whole lot of good-looking girls around Djose," he said.

"Why, Gippal." She fluttered her lashes at him. "Do you think I'm _pretty_?"

"Well, you've got a nice rack, and I'm sure I've got a paper bag in the kitchen –"

"You jerk!" She flushed a becoming shade of red – more likely with anger than embarrassment – and flung a cushion at him.

"I was just kidding!" He laughed as she scrambled backwards in search of more cushions. "Really, I was kidding, okay?" He waited until she sat back down, folding her legs beneath her, before he added, "Your chest is kind of on the smallish side, actually, and – _ow_!" He rubbed his head where one of her slippers – an earlier casualty of the game – had hit him, and glared. She raised her chin defiantly, hefting the other slipper in her right hand.

"Keep talking, big man," she warned.

"Can't you take a joke?" He whined, tossing the slipper back to her. "I've only got one good eye left, and you just came dangerously close to it."

"Cry me a river," she snorted. "Are you gonna play, or not?"

That restored the cocky grin to his face. "Of course. You haven't got that much left to lose, you know."

"Hmph. I have a feeling my luck is about to change." She arranged her cards thoughtfully, smiling. He took two cards and she discarded none, uncaring that her smile revealed her anticipated certain victory.

"Full house," she said with relish. "Kings over jacks."

"Oh, too bad," Gippal looked sincerely apologetic. "Full house," he said, displaying his cards. "Aces high."

Her grin crumpled. "I don't _believe _it," she said.

"So, what's it going to be?" He looked positively thrilled, practically twitching with anticipation. Probably he hadn't seen a decent pair of tits in a while.

She rolled her eyes, grabbed for a cushion, and held it firmly in front of her with her knees as she unhooked her bunny bra and tossed it aside.

"That is _totally _not fair," he said.

"I have complied fully with the rules," she defended. "I took off an article of clothing. That's the only requirement, so suck it up."

"Fine," he sulked. "But I'll have you know I am _sorely _disappointed in you." He moved to gather up the cards when her hand shot out abruptly, pushing his away.

"Wait!" She studied the cards for a moment, then looked up at him.

"Gippal?"

"Yes?" He asked warily.

"Did you know," she asked tightly, from between clenched teeth, "that two of your aces are hearts?"

"Is…is that so?" He laughed uneasily.

"Usually," she said, and he could hear the anger building in her voice, "there's only one of each suit in a deck. Unless _someone _is a no good, dirty, rotten _cheater_."

"Honest mistake?" He suggested halfheartedly.

She stood, dropping the cushion as she did. For a moment he got a look at the fabulous chest he'd spent an hour cheating his way into glimpsing.

"I…am going…to _kill _you." Her chest heaved with her quick, furious breaths.

He wasn't an idiot. He took off running, and she thundered after him as fast as she possibly could.

Maybe she'd make him pay for it, but he had the feeling that when she realized her state of undress _he'd _have the last laugh.


End file.
